March 16, 2007

DETROIT - After another win in this morning's quarterfinals, redshirt junior Keith Gavin qualified for tonight's semifinals at the NCAA Wrestling Championships. He is the first wrestler to advance this far in the tournament since Carl Fronhofer in 2003, and he is only the third wrestler to do so in a decade.

No. 2 Gavin (Factoryville, Pa./Lackawanna Trail) took on Penn's No. 10 Matt Herrington this morning. In the first period, Herrington was the one to score two on a takedown but Gavin fought back in the remaining periods, pulling ahead for the 9-5 decision. This evening, he'll take on un-seeded Brandon Mason of Oklahoma State. Mason has made a solid run for the podium in this tournament, knocking off No. 3 Steve Luke, Cornell's Joey Hooker and No. 11 Jeremy Larson.

At 157 pounds, Pitt's No. 11 Matt Kocher (State College, Pa./State College) lost his first bout of the tournament in this morning's quarterfinals after falling in a 5-3 decision to No. 3 James Strouse of Hofstra. When the two went head-to-head earlier this year, Kocher was the one to come away victorious with a 3-2 decision. This match remained equally close, but Kocher will now move to consolations. He'll wrestle tonight and could still contend for a third-place finish in his weight class.

Tonight's session is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Palace at Auburn Hills.

NOTES--Gavin moved up to tie for eighth among Pitt's most wins by a junior with a 27-3 record this season.